STUDIO
Jun 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Markkus Rovito
CYCLING '74 RADIAL 1.0
LOOP COMPOSER (MAC)
Musician and engineer jhno, the man behind many of Cycling '74's Pluggo plug-ins, designed Radial 1.0 ($249; Mac OS 9) and optimized it for live performance. The program takes loop composing to new dimensions. Naturally, it performs real-time tempo and pitch adjustments to multiple loops, but it represents loop channels with circular, rotating displays, each with its own multifilter and pitch/time scaling. Every aspect of Radial can be controlled via MIDI devices, keyboard or mouse. A loop file browser categorizes loops for easy access during performances, and separate main and monitor controls let you preview audio tracks while performing. You can also record direct to disk with no interruption of the performance. Radial hosts VST plug-ins and includes a tempo-synched filter/delay, as well as 12 Pluggo plug-ins. It supports AIFF, WAV and MP3 sound files and the major audio I/O standards: ASIO, ReWire and DirectConnect. The Mac OS X update later this year will add CoreAudio support and be free to all registered users. The boxed version of Radial includes a loop library on the CD-ROM.
Cycling '74; e-mail info@cycling74.com; Web www.cycling74.com
TC ELECTRONIC POWERCORE FIREWIRE
DSP SYSTEM (MAC/PC)
The growing ranks of producers rocking laptop studios may be afflicted by a shortage of processing power, but now they can take advantage of the TC Electronic PowerCore FireWire (price TBA; Mac OS 10.2, Windows XP) DSP system. With a Motorola PowerPC/266 MHz and four Motorola 56kHz DSPs running at 150 MHz, the PowerCore FireWire actually delivers almost twice the juice as its PCI-card sibling. It provides rackmount-quality processing of VST and Audio Units plug-ins without draining the computer's CPU. PowerCore FireWire includes nine devices: 24/7 C, a virtual vintage compressor/limiter; Classic Verb (pictured); Vintage CL, another compressor/limiter; PowerCore 01, a virtual analog mono synth; Master X3, the software version of TC Electronic's Finalizer processor; Voice Strip, a complete channel-strip processor; EQSat, a high-performance EQ; Chorus Delay; and Mega Reverb. Many other optional plug-ins are available, including TC Helicon's VoiceModeler ($249).
TC Electronic; e-mail infous@tcelectronic.com; Web www.tcelectronic.com
AMERICAN AUDIO CDS-1
CD PLAYER
As CD mixing gains momentum, new DJs may want an entry-level system to start with and working DJs may want a backup option to take to gigs. Enter the American Audio CDS-1 ($209.95) top-loading CD player. When used with a compatible American Audio mixer, it delivers Fader Q Start and the ability to crossfade to a preprogrammed cue point on a CD. Also onboard are instant start, loop in and out, 8× oversampling, mechanical antiskip protection, digital output, search, scan, forward and back skip. The CDS-1 reads CDs and CD-Rs and offers pitch bend of 8, 12 or 16 percent. Also available is the CDS-1/System ($559.95), which includes two CDS-1 CD players, the fully compatible XDM-200 mixer and a road case. The entire system weighs 30 pounds.
American Audio; e-mail info@americanaudio.us; Web www.americanaudio.us
BEHRINGER DJX700
DJ MIXER
The DJX700 ($269.99) steps up the features of the DJX600 with improved Ultra Low-Noise phono preamps and much more. The 5-channel mixer gives you four input channels and a mic channel with 3-band EQ on each. Any of the four main channels can be assigned to crossfader A or B, on which there are high-, mid- and low-frequency kill switches. Dual LED beat counters display the incoming bpm, and Sync Lock and Beat Assist features lend a hand to seamless mixing. The 45mm Ultraglide faders are good for a half-million cycles and indirectly control VCAs to rule out noise caused by mechanical wear. Although it has an effect send for introducing external effects, the DJX700 also builds in 47 24-bit digital effects, including delay, reverb, flanger, filter, panner, ultrabass, exciter, vinylizer, voice changer and more.
Behringer; e-mail support@behringer.com; Web www.behringer.com
ESI OCTAFIRE
FIREWIRE AUDIO INTERFACE
As well they should be, FireWire audio interfaces are all the rage, giving computer musicians multiple high-speed audio I/O without the need for a PCI card. ESI rides this gravy train first class with its OctaFire ($699.99), a 1U rack FireWire audio/MIDI interface. With eight analog inputs and outputs, as well as four MIDI I/O connections, it will cover the needs of many a project studio. The OctaFire adds four combo-connector mic preamps with +48V phantom power and a front-panel headphone monitor. Digital coaxial S/PDIF I/O and word-clock I/O complete the package. ESI FireWire options don't end there. The series also includes the four-I/O QuataFire ($499.99) audio interface in a ⅓-rackspace box and the flagship HexaFire ($999.99), an interface with 16 audio I/O and one MIDI I/O in a 2U box. The entire line offers 24-bit, 192kHz audio resolution and works with Windows XP and Mac OS X systems.
ESI; e-mail sale@egosys.net; Web www.esi-pro.com
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS ABSYNTH 2.0
VST INSTRUMENT (MAC/PC)
Unlike that of its alcoholic, vaguely psychedelic namesake, the high you'll get from using Absynth 2.0 ($299) is completely legal. Using the original Absynth made many woozy with euphoria, and the update includes many new features and more than 800 presets. Absynth 2.0 is a true synthesizer/sampler, and it incorporates conventional sampling with linked pitch and time, as well as granular sampling for time-stretching, freezing and atmospheric effects. Each voice has six synth oscillators (or three sampling oscillators), four filters, three ring modulators and a wave-shaping distortion. Break-point envelopes (with as many as 68 break-points) can control nearly every parameter and sync to tempo. New envelope enhancements include MIDI control and link mode, and every envelope can be oscillated with its own LFO. Remaining enhancements include better CPU efficiency and improved plug-in operation. Absynth 2.0 supports Mac OS 9.1 or higher, Mac OS 10.2 or higher and Windows XP, as well the VST 2.0, Audio Units, SoundManager, CoreAudio, CoreMIDI, DXi, ASIO and OMS standards.
Native Instruments; e-mail info@native-instruments.com; Web www.native-instruments.com
CELEMONY MELODYNE 2.0
AUDIO EDITOR
Compatibility is the key to Celemony's Melodyne 2.0 update ($995; Mac OS 9 and X, Windows 98/2000/ME/XP). The new version now runs in sync with DAW programs using the VST, ReWire or Audio Units protocols. Melodyne 2.0 can also direct its output straight into a DAW mixer or integrate VST and Audio Units plug-ins as insert or send effects. The mixer has been enhanced with new submixing groups and an EQ section. Guitarists can record into Melodyne using hexaphonic pickups, and their individual guitar notes can be edited independent of pitch and tempo. For the unfamiliar, Melodyne records monophonic audio (like a vocal) and can extract the pitch and rhythm information, leaving the user free to completely change the melody by more than an octave up or down, create harmonies, lengthen words, reduce vibrato and make other edits similar to editing MIDI notes. Melodyne Cre8 ($395) records eight tracks at as high as 16-bit, 48kHz resolution, and Melodyne Studio Edition ($995) adds stereo editing, multilevel undo and unlimited tracks with as high as 32-bit,192kHz resolution. Melodyne 1.5 users who registered in 2003 qualify for a free upgrade to 2.0.
Celemony; e-mail info@celemony.com; Web www.celemony.com
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